RaeAnna + A Nerdy Lifestyle
The Water Dancer delves into magical realism and familiar themes of justice, humanity, freedom, and equality. Ta-Nehisi Coates sets his debut novel in pre-Civil War Virginia. Though the prose is excellent and interesting, I found the story largely forgettable.
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz is inventive with character names, genders, and sexualities, making Darcy a woman and Lizzie into Luke. Darcy returns to her hometown, Pemberley, Ohio, for Christmas after her mother has a heart attack.
Charles Dickens is having a midlife crisis at Christmas time, and his publishers are demanding a Christmas novel when everything in his life is falling apart.
I was utterly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Julie Kibler captured my interest and respect with her cutting and insightful novel.
Davis had a nice novel until the last five pages when she throws a it in the toilet. The ending comes quickly and suddenly. It’s as if her editor asked her to wrap everything up with a nice bow. It was saccharine and a little vomit inducing how spoonfed the ending was. Otherwise, it's a nice story combining a mystery with a touch of love and a lot of independent women searching for belonging.
The Farm by Joanne Ramos is heartbreaking and infuriating. She has quite a literary career ahead of her if this is what she brings to the table with her debut novel.